Summary of Ephesians

Subjects: Physical circumcision is not
necessary for salvation, Lead a life worthy of your calling, Be
imitators of God, Sinners won't be saved, etc.

Chapters: 6

Summary of Ephesians 1

Paul introduces himself, followed by a
summary of the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, saying that
the Holy Spirit is what marks us as saved (Ephesians 1:13). Paul is
also presenting a theology of Jesus Christ.

Summary of Ephesians 2

Paul explains in Ephesians 2:8-9 that
we are saved by grace, not by works, but then he clarifies in
Ephesians 2:10 that works are still important when he says, "For
we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life."

Speaking of the issue of circumcision,
which he has also discussed in Galatians, he makes the point that
Jesus "in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has
broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us."
(Ephesians 2:14)

In Ephesians 2:15, Paul says, "He
has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances..." In-context, he is speaking of circumcision.

We know that Paul is not saying
that God's commandments have been abolished, since Paul himself
opposes this idea, saying, "Do we then overthrow the law by this
faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law." (Romans
3:31) as well as, "The commandments, 'You shall not commit
adultery...murder...steal...covet'; and any other commandment, are
summed up in this word, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does
no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the
law." (Romans 13:9-10)

Paul also says in 1 Corinthians 7:19,
"Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing; but
obeying the commandments of God is everything."

In Ephesians 2, Paul is making the same
point that he made in Galatians 3:23 "There is no longer Jew or
Greek..." and Romans 2 and 9, "Rather, a person is a Jew
who is one inwardly..." (Romans 2:29), "For not all
Israelites truly belong to Israel, and not all of Abraham's children
are his true descendants." (Romans 9:6-7)

Jesus Christ has made
it so that "God's people" (true Israelites) is based on
faith, repentance, and obedience instead of being circumcised or
Jewish by birth.

Paul then speaks of Christians being
God's temple, which Peter also explains in 1 Peter 2.

Summary of Ephesians 3 & 4

Paul then explains that he is in prison
(One incident of him being in prison is recorded in Acts 16).

Paul
first explains his commission to be a witness of Jesus Christ to the
Gentiles. Then he reminds them that he is a prisoner, and he appeals
for them to "lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have
been called" (Ephesians 4:1).

He then tells them to not have
divisions among themselves, and to be patient with each other. He
explains that everyone has a different purpose, but that we all work
together. He also explains that we must become mature Christians, and
no longer be children being easily deceived by false teachers.

Peter explains a similar teaching of being a mature Christian in 1 Peter 2.

Paul pleads with his audience to become
mature Christians, saying, "You were taught to put away your
former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its
lusts..." (Ephesians 4:22) Paul continues to tell them what sins
they need to rid themselves.

Summary of Ephesians 5

Paul tells us to "be imitators of
God" and he instructs us on what not to discuss, saying "But
fornication and impurity of any kind, or greed, must not even be
mentioned among you, as is proper among saints." (Ephesians
5:1-3)

He explains that vulgar talk should not exist among
Christians.

Paul states plainly that no one who is
sinful or impure will be saved, saying, "Be sure of this, that
no fornicator or impure person, or one who is greedy (that is, an
idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."
(Ephesians 5:5)

Paul also says, "Let no one
deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath
of God comes on those who are disobedient." (Ephesians 5:6) Paul even instructs us to not associate with anyone who does these things,
which is similar to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:11, "But
now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the
name of brother or sister who is sexually immoral or greedy, or is an
idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber. Do not even eat with such a
one."

Paul gives his audience additional
instructions, and he tells husbands and wives how to treat each
other: with love and respect.

Summary of Ephesians 6

Having just told husbands and wives how
to treat each other, Paul also tells children how to behave and how
fathers should treat their children.

Speaking of slaves, Paul tells
them to obey their earthly masters.

Paul certainly does not approve of
slavery, which is why he writes Philemon, to request that the slave
Onesimus be set free.

However, Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 7:20
that everyone should stay in whatever situation they are in when they
became Christian. In the context of 1 Corinthians 7, Paul is applying this particular
comment to circumcision.

However, Paul teaches this
about slavery as well, even though he disagrees with it. The reason
for this can be found in his explanation for why we should obey
governments placed over us in Romans 13, which is essentially so that
we are not perceived as wrongdoers.

This teaching agrees with
Peter's teaching of the same subject in 1 Peter 2, "Slaves,
accept the authority of your masters with all deference, not only
those who are kind and gentle but also those who are harsh." (1
Peter 2:18)

However, Paul also addresses masters on
how to treat their slaves, telling them to treat them respectfully
and to not threaten them.

In Ephesians 6:11-17, Paul speaks of
the armor of God, which is a well-known biblical metaphor. The point of the armor of God is the actual
characteristics, not the literal armor.